Slicer's Reckless Power
A strong wind swept through, and Joseph nodded while staring at the shattered ring.
He had finally understood the true nature of the Storm Wall.
The description in the magic book had been shockingly brief.
That was all.
At first he had no idea why there was an unnecessary intermediate step.
But the moment he tried it, he realized something crucial: a bigger whirlwind wasn’t the point at all.
This isn’t just a bigger whirlwind. This is a magic that forces the wind to take a specific direction.
Storm Chip could only turn mana into wind; it couldn’t control the wind itself.
Storm Wall, however, could dictate the wind’s direction at will.
Joseph suddenly understood that mastering this spell was essential before he could even begin Wind Runner.
Wind Runner is a buff that wraps the user in circulating wind to reduce perceived weight and boost speed.
For that to work, the wind had to stay fixed around the body.
If the wind was created and then immediately scattered, the spell would be useless.
The real problem is fixing the shape. It’s harder than it looks.
He remembered the vertical ring he had tried earlier.
Unlike the first one, it exploded on its own even though he hadn’t intended it.
Horizontal versus vertical shape. Same principle, different direction, yet control was still failing.
Can wind even be fixed to a human body?
People moved constantly without realizing it.
Without being forcibly pinned down, most humans simply refused to stay still.
Therefore the wind’s shape and direction would have to change constantly.
I’d have to manually adjust the gears every single moment…
Joseph shook his head at the insane difficulty he felt.
Originally he had planned to use wind magic to replace the noisy fire spells during the Malešov operation.
But the more he practiced, the clearer it became why the author kept stressing “talent.”
Time was short.
Only two months remained until winter.
Mastering Wind Runner in that window seemed impossible no matter how talented he was.
It might be smarter to just train fire magic and raise its power instead.
Still, I’ve already invested time…
Should he trust his talent and push forward?
Or should he realistically focus on fire magic?
No easy answer came.
The advantage of increased speed was enormous.
In fact, it was far more important than any ordinary attack spell.
Modern games had shown him that.
Victory or defeat often turned on a single 0.017-second “frame.”
Striking first by even a fraction of a second mattered.
And that edge would become even more critical to him in the future.
After the Malešov mission ended, Ogier and the soldiers would return to the castle.
The remaining private soldiers would not be able to hold the front line firmly.
With their numbers already thinned, exposure to danger would skyrocket.
Until they grew stronger and the roster expanded, he could not relax.
Moreover, this is a buff magic…
It could even be used on others.
If he could freely cast Wind Runner, he would command soldiers with terrifying speed.
At least once, I have to succeed.
Joseph weighed his options for a moment and made his decision.
The magic book had described Storm Wall simply as “a magic that evolved from Storm Chip.”
But when he actually tried it, that wasn’t the important part at all.
Perhaps other wind spells would reveal unexpected clues if he experimented further.
For now, I’ll try a little more. If it still fails, I’ll abandon wind magic and focus only on fire.
He swung the staff again.
A mana orb rose into the air.
Derrick, watching it, instinctively ducked.
Joseph lifted the orb higher this time, high enough that it would be visible even from a distance.
The spell he was about to cast was clearly more dangerous than anything in the Storm series.
“Slicer.”
The mana orb instantly transformed into wind.
This time it condensed tightly instead of spreading outward.
Yet the speed was noticeably slower than in the Storm series.
Siiii—
Then, as if pouring mana into the orb, it produced a strange sound.
Inside the small sphere, rough wind could be felt swirling violently.
Joseph’s brows furrowed.
He sensed the condensed wind about to collapse at any moment.
He still hadn’t managed to fix the wind’s shape.
When the mana orb let out an ominous hiss, Derrick crept closer to Joseph’s side.
Was he trying to protect him, or was he simply terrified?
At that exact moment Joseph glanced sideways.
His concentration shattered.
And at the same time.
Pik!
A powerful shockwave rang out briefly, and the condensed wind dispersed.
Shiiiiik—
The sound of the wind slicing through the air echoed.
Pusok!
Something invisible cut between Joseph and Derrick and slammed into the roof in an instant.
“……”
“……”
They had no time to react.
The attack was already over before they could even blink.
Joseph and Derrick continued staring at empty air.
Swallow.
Derrick’s throat worked as he swallowed hard.
Even in the cold wind, sweat poured down his face.
Joseph felt the same.
In that single moment, if luck had been against him, his body would have been sliced clean in half.
“No, is this guy insane?”
Joseph cursed the author of the magic book without meaning to.
The earlier worry suddenly felt ridiculous.
- Slicer condenses rotating wind into an instant and fires it forward. Its cutting power can be compared to a well-trained knight’s sword.
Crazy!
Even a sword was too kind a comparison.
This was more like a cannon.
The author of this book must have believed that talented mages could get away with vague explanations.
He turned to inspect the roof.
A long, jagged hole had been punched through it.
The hole was roughly the size of Joseph’s upper body.
He realized anew how lucky he had been.
So if wind control fails, this is what happens…
It was absurd.
When he had first read the wind magic book, he hadn’t thought much of it.
He had assumed wind was only useful if it blew hard.
But now he understood the true danger.
If you couldn’t control the wind, nothing else mattered.
Wait…
Joseph suddenly opened the wind magic book again.
He quickly found the page describing Wind Runner.
- Wind Runner reduces the user’s burden by utilizing previously learned wind magic.
“Haa…”
It sounded deceptively simple, but in reality it required mastering Storm Chip, Storm Wall, and Slicer.
To accelerate with wind, one had to control an even stronger gale…
If control fails, the body gets torn apart.
With that realization, his words died in his throat.
It was a buff magic that used one’s own life as collateral.
The most insane spell he had ever seen.
The strangest part was that the magic book made no mention of any danger.
Probably because it was written for those with talent and such warnings were considered unnecessary.
Or perhaps the author simply didn’t want to leave flaws in his own work.
Joseph had no way of knowing which was true.
How many innocent victims had this book already claimed?
It was fortunate that the wind magic book was locked away in the Valois Castle library.
“Are you all right?”
Joseph heard Auk and Jiren’s voices from below.
They had simply been watching his training with curiosity at first.
After all, since joining the private soldiers they had never properly witnessed his magic.
The fight with Manir had ended in an instant.
Joseph had always just been meditating, never giving them a chance to watch up close.
Still, when the roof suddenly shattered, they were startled.
“What happened?!”
Even Ogier and Refn came running.
Far-off training soldiers had also stopped and were staring this way.
Joseph cleared his throat lightly.
“It’s nothing. Sometimes during training… sometimes this happens.”
He scratched his head with an awkward smile.
Ogier looked up at him, incredulous.
“I’m glad you’re safe. It’s better not to practice on the roof if possible.”
Joseph descended and surveyed the interior.
The room was wrecked as if a bomb had gone off.
The floor had been gouged out in the exact same shape as the roof hole.
Maybe wind magic really isn’t worth it after all…
He stood beneath the cold wind pouring through the broken roof and thought.
The path to mastering wind magic looked far too dangerous.
“Auk… no, Derrick would be better. Derrick.”
“Yes.”
Joseph immediately called him.
Derrick looked unusually tired, as if he had nearly died moments ago.
“……Tell the village chief the roof is damaged. Say I’ll compensate later.”
Seeing Derrick’s weary face, Joseph almost told him to rest.
But he had to inform the village chief, and he didn’t want to send another soldier.
Jiren or Auk might hear unnecessary gossip.
Without asking for anything special… but he’d probably titter.
Joseph had no desire to give the village chief that opportunity.
It was simply because he was annoyed.
“Understood.”
Derrick nodded, as if he had understood the reason.
Joseph added one more thing.
“While you’re there, check the shields from Gapoi too.”
Derrick nodded more vigorously than before.
***
“Huh? The roof… flew away? Is that what you said?”
Derrick immediately ran to the village chief and delivered the news.
He looked dazed by the sudden absurd message.
Derrick, who had come to report it, nodded as if nothing had happened.
“The repair cost will be paid later. Remember that.”
The chief’s expression twisted subtly.
It wasn’t only because the man who had once treated him with respect was now speaking informally.
It was annoying, but that wasn’t the real issue.
That mage really did something terrible!
Right now Joseph was a terror in Doran Village, especially to the village chief.
The entire village had dreamed of Joseph burning to death, not to mention recruiting soldiers and dragging away Derrick who had been working hard. (Of course he had paid for it.)
Then he disappeared, brought nobles, conscripted young men, and this time smashed an entire house.
From the village chief’s perspective, who had to manage the village, there was no greater scourge than such low-born brats.
It was so bad that he prayed for the man’s head to crack every three days from overwork.
“Understood?”
“Ugh…”
The chief’s face looked disgusted, and Derrick tapped his shoulder with a club.
His tone was arrogant and infuriating, yet he could not resist.
Power was always crushed by greater power, and Derrick was now a mage’s soldier.
“I understand…”
“Good.”
The chief answered in a thin, mosquito-like voice.
Derrick lifted the corner of his mouth and nodded.
He spat hard into the chief’s courtyard and turned away.
“…That ungrateful bastard.”
The chief spat a small curse after Derrick’s retreating back.
The voice had been very soft, but the chief who had once called him a slave knew Derrick’s ears were sharp.